


Emerald Rush

by Lavenderhydrangea



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Clan Lavellan - Freeform, Clan Lavellan-centric, Gen, Pre-Dragon Age: Inquisition, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 13:44:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17122469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lavenderhydrangea/pseuds/Lavenderhydrangea
Summary: Take a journey to the past with Inquisitor Zanetta Lavellan and her clan as they celebrate their safe arrival to a new place to call home.





	Emerald Rush

**Author's Note:**

> Still trying to get formatting down on this site.

Zanetta loved her clan’s version of home warming. It wasn’t something they did every time they moved since they moved so often but it was still something she looked forward to with bated breath. The celebration called for such things like games, great dishes, the naming of things you’re fortunate for publicly, and visual story telling.

 

This year was no different. The rest of the clan, delighted, had gathered around the fire, waiting for the festivities to commence. She had been outside of the circle prepping.The visual storytelling was her favorite bit. It was something she threw herself into entirely and whenever she did she took off soaring. Her current vigor for it was ironic in the fact that when she first saw a performance years ago as a child she wondered who would’ve been foolish enough to participate in such a thing with very little to gain in return. Then one of the performers whom she befriended wouldn’t stop talking about it and Zanetta tried it and she was rotten at it. At that time for her what didn’t work didn’t work so why try again?

 

But she had at it again.

 

Her return to it wasn’t graceful; she still was rotten. As time past and she accumulated some scrapes and scars along the way, she got better. There was something in going, Look I wasn’t able to do this thing but now I can. This beautiful thing was once a confusing mess and oddity of oddities, the mess had now now become the most engaging thing she’d been involved in. Even more invigorating about it, there was still more messes and beautiful things to come.

 

She was mouthing parts of her routine to herself when Vera, the First, plopped her hand on her back. “So first up is a grand speech from Keeper Deshanna, and a little word from me. Afterwards you and Cyven are up.”

 

 

Zanetta scowled. “Wouldn’t it make sense for you to be practicing then?”

 

 

“My opener is short and easy to remember,” Before Zanetta could shoo her away, Vera cleared her throat and began: “Here we are again. I could expanded upon the gratefulness and grace of our Keeper for our new home that Sylaise has granted us. I could emulate the joy our young feel thrumming in their little bodies at the possibles of exploring a new environment. I can relate to the relief of their parents must feel now that they no longer have to answer the age old question of ‘are we there yet’. Or I can bask in the fact that I can temporarily put my fears aside yet again. But I am no fool. I know what we’re all waiting for Showcasing our Emerald Rush--Cyven and Zanetta.”

 

“I’m sure you practiced that painstakingly but that still doesn’t explain why you’re here,” ‘Interrupting me’ was what she almost said. “and not prepping with Keeper Deshanna.”

 

“Keeper Deshanna thought it was best I go out and raise morale.”

 

“More like Tavarus, Orist, and Shalia are all busy so you’ve come to pester me.”

 

“Alright,” She put her hands up in surrender. “you’ve got me. I figured I needed some type of entertainment before duty calls but I keep on forgetting you’re quite drab in comparison to my usual targets.”

 

“Why does your entertainment subsist on wearing people’s nerves thin? You’re like Gilvas and Syleth if they grew up and performed some type forbidden fusion ritual.”

 

“I’m the only one here that keeps things lively.” She lit the tips of her fingers with blue magic.

 

“Are you ready?” Vera eventually asked.

 

“Well, my heart’s going and my throat keeps on nearly closing up, but yes I’m so ready that I don’t think I can wait anymore.”

 

After a few more moments of torment, Vera left, and thus she again was given space to prepare. She stretched her arms and legs out, and deeply inhaled and exhaled. Some of the clan elders people claimed that combination of her usual stretches with breathing would keep her ligaments loose yet her mind sharp.

 

There hadn’t been time to find out if the technique was pure placebo. It didn’t matter. The ascending assortment of drums, lutes and flutes had started and Keeper Deshanna had already made her way to the center of the circle. Her heart thudded away, and she felt jumpy. She almost wished she could skip to the end of her performance.

 

Vera had taken center circle now.

 

“....But I’m no fool. I know what we’re waiting for.”

 

Zanetta slipped to the edge of the circle, eyeing Cyven on the opposite side as she did so. She read his lips.

 

“Ready?” They said.

 

She pushed her shoulders back and nodded.

 

“Showcasing our Emerald Rush this evening--Cyven and Zanetta!” Vera chirped.

 

Cyven stomped and kicked about. He thrust his arm up and out like a blade. He sliced side to side symbolizing him cutting the elves and their homes down.

 

Representing a survivor giving their last fight, Zanetta stormed in. The first few seconds demanded a lot. One wrong step and she would’ve lost her rhythm. She bounded towards Cyven and kicked both her legs out. He caught her by the ankles and whirled her around. She couldn’t see the crowds faces and that was great for sinking into character but horrific when she needed moral support. This was where the idea of having a good partner came in—more importantly one that she could trust not to drop her.

 

The last spin, he let go and let momentum whisk her away. Zanetta crawled to her knees and glared at the audience through disheveled hair. She tried to inch away from him but he marched closer and “stabbed” her.

 

The crowd gasped.

 

Cyven bowed arrogantly. They were finally at the middle part. This was part that got everyone going no matter how many times they had seen it. He faced the other side of the circle. Suddenly, she sprung up and clung to him like a bear on its prey. He struggled to pry her off. He even keeled to put all his strength into fighting her. Giving her a boost, they flipped her over.

 

Cyven groped at his “wound”. Furious with one another, they faced each other fiercely. After more fighting, she shoved him, and tried to take a sharp turn away. He gripped her hand. She, or rather the elf she played, fell unconscious again and this time Cyven lifted her to throw her but perhaps reeling from pain and perhaps hesitance he halted. She awakened once again.

 

Time and lost history had once made them unsure if they were fulfilling the performance to it’s true form. However, thanks to cultural adaptation they had something. It was nothing like they had before but it was something. They were still present.

**Author's Note:**

> So the idea for this story was inspired by Pink’s Try video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTCDVfMz15M
> 
> The dance they’re doing stems from something called The Apache Dance or La Danse Apache, which is meant to reenact some of the more uh..problematic aspects of 20th century Parisian underworld street culture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apache_(dance)  
> In modern times when it’s shown it either acts a historical reminder or a taking back of it and making it something new(there’s an actual term for this but it escapes me right now.) I thought that would fit in well with DA elves—the taking it back part and making it something new part. A little dash of the historical reminder part works well with it too!  
> I actually wanted to go into more detail with how the dance related to Zanetta’s clan’s culture but man, that would have been pages long and I’ve already been stuck on this thing for two months so I stuck to this and now I feel like some of it is disjointed. I also feel like some of the dance moves are off. With something like The Apache dance, I though it would be good to strike a balance between the harshness of battle and the delicate and graceful nature of dance. I don’t know if I did that though.  
> Got any tips? Let me know in the comments below!


End file.
